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cnbc.com
SpaceX deal to acquire spectrum license hammers shares of AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile
SpaceX agreed to purchase a nationwide spectrum portfolio as it to pushes its Starlink service deeper into the U.S. telecommunications market.
cnbc.com
Nvidia, Oracle, CoreWeave and other AI stocks sink on OpenAI revenue report
OpenAI has told investors that it hit roughly $50 billion in annualized revenue at the end of September, CNBC confirmed.
cnbc.com
America shut out Chinese EVs. Britain welcomed them — and now faces a difficult choice
Britain faces a finely balanced choice over whether to follow the EU in imposing tariffs on Chinese EVs.
cnbc.com
Major League Baseball proposes shortening its regular season as it pushes for a salary cap
Major League Baseball proposed a return to a shorter 154-game regular season schedule as it attempts to convince players to approve a salary cap.
cnbc.com
Why a Starbucks takeover of Chipotle would — and wouldn't — make sense for both companies
Starbucks has reportedly been working with advisers on a takeover proposal for Chipotle, but a potential deal comes with pros and cons for investors.
cnbc.com
Treasury yields are lower after reaching multiyear highs, traders weigh latest bond auction
Traders digested comments from a top Federal Reserve official while awaiting another long-dated bond auction.
bbc.co.uk
White House blocks Microsoft from foreign worker hiring program
An international visa program has for years allowed US tech companies to hire highly skilled workers from abroad.
bbc.co.uk
Protesters blame 'vulture funds' for Spain's housing crisis
Hundreds have pitched their tents in central Madrid, while the Spanish prime minister has called a snap election.
cnbc.com
Oil prices jump as Iran steps up tanker attacks, hurricane threatens U.S. Gulf production
President Donald Trump and his national security team have talked about possibly restarting large-scale U.S. military operations in Iran, according to reports.
cnbc.com
U.S. suspends Microsoft, Adobe from green card labor program in foreign worker crackdown
Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling cited "multiple active federal investigations" around the two companies' involvement in the program Thursday.
bbc.co.uk
How soon into dating do you talk about your salary?
You've met someone and it's going well so far. But bringing up how much you both earn can be a tricky conversation.
bbc.co.uk
Adidas sues Australian label White Fox over four stripes design
The German sportswear brand wants the Sydney-based label to stop selling the clothes and pay damages.
cnbc.com
Trump bought up to $25 million in Meta and millions in SpaceX debt in August
Trump disclosed 517 August trades, including up to $5 million in debt from SpaceX, a major Pentagon contractor and NASA launch provider.
theguardian.com
Top bosses at Goldman Sachs to share bonus pot worth up to $500m
Eye-watering sum, to be split between 20 bankers, is one of the biggest payouts in the bank’s historyTop bosses at Goldman Sachs are in line to share a bonus pot worth up to $500m (£378m) this year, marking one of the biggest payouts in the Wall Street bank’s history.The eye-watering sum will be shared between 20 bankers, with its chief executive, David Solomon, due to take about $100m (£75.6m) of the reward, which is made up of Goldman Sachs stock. Continue reading...
bbc.co.uk
'I don't know what my partner earns': How soon into dating should you reveal your salary?
Talking about salary, spending habits and debt can be some of dating's trickier conversations.
cnbc.com
Trump says U.S. will not attack Iran before midterm election
Trump said talks with Tehran were “productive” as the Iran war pushes oil and gas prices higher and support for the conflict falls.
cnbc.com
Inflation on many everyday items was entirely due to tariffs, NY Fed says
Tariffs added 2.9 percentage points to inflation in 67 categories of goods by February 2026, researchers at the New York Federal Reserve found.
theguardian.com
Harvey Nichols’ Birmingham store to close in January
Closure will cost at least 60 jobs, while Leeds and Bristol outlets to be converted to Flannels brandHarvey Nichols’ Birmingham store is to close in January, with the loss of at least 60 jobs, while its Leeds and Bristol outlets will be converted to the Flannels brand in a shake-up under Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group.The owner of Sports Direct bought the department store chain, whose headquarters are at the Knightsbridge site in London, for £43m on the day it was put into administration in mid-August. Continue reading...
bbc.co.uk
Plans to shut Marston's Brewery in Burton revealed
Burton-upon-Trent's links with beer and brewing date back centuries.
theguardian.com
MoD has objected to four windfarms in past year over radar interference fears
Complaints risks putting defence ministry on collision course with Department for Energy Security and Net ZeroThe Ministry of Defence has objected to at least four planned windfarms in the past year over fears the spinning blades could cause “unacceptable interference” with radars used to detect military aircraft.MoD officials raised concerns in late June over plans for an onshore windfarm in County Durham that could result in aircraft “not being detected” within an RAF Low Flying Area, according to a letter to Britain’s planning authority. Continue reading...
bbc.co.uk
Residents win Curo service charge legal battle
People living in a block of flats take their landlord to tribunal over a 300 per cent increase.
theguardian.com
Bank governor urges John Healey to use budget to allay market fears amid bond turmoil
Andrew Bailey tells chancellor ‘whatever the stance of fiscal policy, it must be credible and be seen as such by financial markets’Business live – latest updatesThe Bank of England governor, Andrew Bailey, has urged the chancellor, John Healey, to agree a budget that reassures financial markets after the UK’s medium-term borrowing costs hit a fresh 19-year high.With investors offloading government bonds previously considered safe havens amid fears of rising inflation, Bailey told all governments caught in the crosshairs of financial speculators that they needed to avoid market turmoil that raises the interest paid on debt. Continue reading...
bbc.co.uk
Asos hackers took more personal details than first revealed, BBC finds
Retailer issues update after BBC contacted by cyber criminals who said this week's breach went beyond "basic contact details"
cnbc.com
Skydance's David Ellison tells CNBC combined company is 'positioned to win in every single vertical'
Skydance includes two film studios, the CBS broadcast network, a sprawling pay TV portfolio and streaming services Paramount+ and HBO Max.
theguardian.com
E.ON Next deal to buy Ovo Energy leaves UK with just ‘big three’ energy suppliers
Competition watchdog clears takeover despite concerns that suppliers will have less incentive to lower billsAlmost three-quarters of households in Great Britain are now served by just three energy suppliers, after E.ON Next completed a deal to buy Ovo Energy despite fresh concerns about competition in the energy market.The takeover concluded on Thursday after Britain’s competition watchdog cleared it, despite concerns that the shrinking number of household energy suppliers could mean bill payers will have less choice and suppliers will have less incentive to lower bills. Continue reading...
bbc.co.uk
Bid to run new trains on West Coast Mainline refused
Plans for more trains would “likely increase delays and cancelled trains", the rail regulator says.
cnbc.com
Amazon overhauls aging devices lineup with higher-priced Alexa tablet, dumping the budget Fire
The company said the Alexa tablet's improved speed and performance, artificial intelligence features, and upgraded design warrant a higher price tag.
cnbc.com
PepsiCo cuts earnings forecast as North American turnaround takes longer than expected
Pepsi's North American business continues to lag behind its international markets.
cnbc.com
Trump's former defense secretary sees no end in sight for Iran war — to the benefit of America's 'greatest adversary'
Mark Esper, who served as U.S. Secretary of Defense during Trump's first presidential term, said he did not see the conflict ending in the foreseeable future.
theguardian.com
Asos says customers’ names, contact details and search histories hacked
Experts say breadth of data accessed could help attackers devise “highly convincing” phishing scamsBusiness live – live updatesAsos hackers gained access to millions of customers’ recent search histories as well as names, addresses and phone numbers, the online fashion retailer has revealed.Terms typed in by customers such as “glamorous wide fit” and “Asos petite” were in the data accessed in the cyber-attack, which emerged on Tuesday after app users received a notification titled “Asos hacked” with a link to the Telegram messaging service. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
Options traders start calling bottom on bond rout after 'bullet bid' 10-year auction
Calling a bottom in the nonstop U.S. Treasury bond sell-off might seem crazy, but a handful of options traders look increasingly willing to do it.
bbc.co.uk
Chrysler Building to get its crown restored after being sold
The distinctive Manhattan skyscraper will undergo a major renovation and provide a new supply of offices.
bbc.co.uk
Derry firm becomes one of UK's biggest car park operators after buying NCP
The Martin Group has become one of the UK's biggest car park operators after buying NCP out of administration.
cnbc.com
Ray Dalio warns the stock market's cushion against rising bond yields is shrinking
Ray Dalio says earnings have cushioned stocks from rising bond yields, but that buffer is shrinking as he warns free cash flow could weaken.
cnbc.com
Trump says he doesn't want Iran deal as U.S. reportedly prepares for 'massive bombing'
The U.S. president and his national security team have discussed possibly resuming large-scale U.S. military operations in the coming weeks, NBC News reported.
bbc.co.uk
The Bottom Line
What's going wrong with the largest economy in Europe?
theguardian.com
Oil prices jump 5% on Middle East tensions and US hurricane threat
Global bond market sell-off continues and stocks fall amid reports White House has asked to see options for more strikes against IranBusiness live – latest updatesOil prices have risen sharply amid fears about escalating tensions in the Middle East and a squeeze on production from the threat of a hurricane off the US coast.Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose by 5% to $105.3 a barrel on Thursday, triggering a wave of selling in the global bond and stock markets. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
Russia, China hypersonic missile threats fuel need for space defense, satellite CEO says
Space-based systems could detect and track incoming missile threats and intercept them either from land or space.
theguardian.com
Supermarket shake-up: why Asda or Morrisons could vanish within a decade
Talks between Sainsbury’s and Morrisons have set industry tongues wagging, with analysts saying the market is ripe for changeTesco lifts profit forecast and says shoppers are resilientThey may be two of the most recognisable brands in Britain, with a combined 188 years serving shoppers, but industry watchers agree that either Asda or Morrisons – or both – could disappear within a decade.This week, it emerged that Sainsbury’s and Morrisons – the UK’s second- and sixth-largest supermarket chains – had held merger talks between last November and February, before the larger player decided to walk away. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
Russia's internet giant Yandex halts operations at major data center after drone attack
Russian internet giant Yandex paused operations inside one of its data centers after a drone attack as Ukraine continues to hit the country's infrastructure.
theguardian.com
New direct train services from London to Wrexham and Rochdale rejected
Regulator also vetoes extra Blackpool service, citing lack of space on west coast mainline for new trains to capitalBusiness live – latest updatesPlans to run direct train services to Wrexham and Rochdale from London have been rejected by the rail regulator because of “significant pressure” on the line.The Office of Rail and Road said that there was insufficient space on the crowded west coast mainline to introduce the two new separate train services. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
After a yearslong slump, China's real estate market may be set for a turnaround
A recovery in China's largest cities real estate markets could come as soon as next year, the S&P ratings agency said.
cnbc.com
France to release diesel reserves as student protests resume
Students are taking to the streets over underfunding in education as the government seeks to find budget cuts to appease bond markets.
cnbc.com
Elon Musk blames Indian 'oligarchs' for stalling Starlink launch
Space X founder Elon Musk accused oligarchs in India of keeping Starlink out of the country to protect their monopoly over consumers.
cnbc.com
The Indian billionaire investing in Trump's refinery project is also buying more Venezuelan crude
Outside the U.S., India is the biggest destination for Venezuelan oil, with Reliance Industries purchasing the bulk of it.
bbc.co.uk
We spent thousands on a Tui river cruise but ended up on coach trips
Passengers have described their anger after their itineraries changed to involve hours spent on coach trips instead.
cnbc.com
AI startup Manus raises $500 million in first funding round since Meta breakup
The deal is handing the AI agent developer fresh capital after Beijing forced Meta to unwind its roughly $2 billion acquisition.
theguardian.com
Tesco predicts a low-alcohol ‘healthier’ Christmas
First-half sales rise 2% to £33.8bn, helped by strong trade online, as retailer says it is making more delivery slots availableSupermarket shake-up: why Asda or Morrisons could vanishBusiness live – latest updatesTesco has raised its profit outlook as it expects households to splash out this Christmas – despite buying less alcohol – as they shrug off “uncertainty” over the Iran war.The UK’s biggest grocer said sales rose just 2% to £33.8bn in the 26 weeks to 29 August, but underlying profit was up 6.5% to £1.8bn. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
TSMC’s September sales surge year-over-year as AI drives chip demand
TSMC's September net revenue came in at 511.86 billion New Taiwan dollars
cnbc.com
CNBC Daily Open: The blame game — Brussels vs Beijing
The scene is set for tough talks in Beijing as European and Chinese officials seek to avoid stoking trade tensions.
bbc.co.uk
New vape tax made me swap e-cigs for dartboards
The Vaping Product Duty will be imposed at a rate of £2.20 per 10ml of e-liquid from April 2027.
bbc.co.uk
New electric car 'make or break for Jaguar'
Prof David Bailey says there is a lot riding on the Type 01 in terms of jobs and investment.
bbc.co.uk
Hygiene poverty at tipping point, charity warns
The BBC hears people "you would not expect" can no longer afford items to be clean and healthy.
bbc.co.uk
'Come all the way' back to EU, French finance minister tells UK
Roland Lescure tells the BBC that being in the bloc enables members to better address the challenges facing the world.
theguardian.com
Next UK banknotes to feature barn owls, bumblebees, puffins and hedgehogs
Four native species selected after consultation, but which one adorns which note is yet to be decidedBees, barn owls, puffins and hedgehogs have been picked to feature on the next generation of banknotes, the Bank of England has announced.The quartet of creatures were selected after a large-scale consultation settled on wild animals as the theme, with members of the public then asked to pick their favourites out of 18 options divided into three categories. Continue reading...
bbc.co.uk
AI chip boom pushes Samsung profits to record $80bn
The tech giant is also expected to get a boost from its latest folding devices that were launched in August.
bbc.co.uk
Asahi and Kirin among Japan beer giants raided over alleged price-fixing cartel
Japan's Fair Trade Commission conducted searches of the country's largest beer-makers.
cnbc.com
Inside India newsletter: Food crisis, economic shock ahead as India braces for El Niño
The super El Niño weather phenomenon is emerging as the latest headwind for the Indian economy.
bbc.co.uk
Fuel prices added to Google Maps as petrol and diesel costs soar
A search for forecourts will now display their pricing, using the government's Fuel Finder scheme.
theguardian.com
China’s succession crisis: a generation of entrepreneurs is retiring, but are their children ready to take over?
Family run private businesses helped power China’s economic miracle, but the next generation is finding it difficult to carry on the work of their parentsGrowing up, Ayu would watch his parents put together hand made leather shoes on the ground floor of their three storey home in the Chinese city of Wenzhou. Their relatives in Europe would send photographs of designer products from Italy for the workers to base their designs on, and in the decades that followed, the tiny family-run workshop transformed into a 700 person factory.“The factory and the home were the same place. I watched them make shoes by hand, piece by piece, using small machines,” Ayu recalls of watching his parents work in the 1980’s. Continue reading...
bbc.co.uk
How oil-rich Alberta's economy might fare if it broke away from Canada
Albertans vote this month on staying in Canada or moving ahead to a binding independence referendum.
bbc.co.uk
The wildlife winners set to appear on your banknotes revealed
The decision comes after nearly half a million people voted on a shortlist of 18 creatures.
bbc.co.uk
'Stop throwing shade' - the woman trying to stop firms leaving the UK
British people need more incentives to invest in big firms listed in the UK, Dame Julia Hoggett, boss of the London Stock Exchange, says.
bbc.co.uk
OpenAI says teen ChatGPT use limited but research finds it an 'unacceptable risk'
The research found that important guardrails for teens using ChatGPT often failed.
bbc.co.uk
Boots sold in £7bn deal to Canadian billionaire family
The sale of the High Street chain was announced on Wednesday.
theguardian.com
Badenoch’s inheritance tax gambit makes no economic sense | Heather Stewart
The Tory leader’s proposal to slash the tax would shovel £6bn of taxpayer money to the already-wealthyKemi Badenoch’s inheritance tax gambit is a Conservative classic. After all, it was George Osborne’s high-profile pledge to “take the family home out of inheritance tax” in 2007 that put Gordon Brown off calling a snap general election.In practice, Osborne’s plan involved a £1m threshold for inheritance tax – and given the global financial crisis had blown a hole in the public finances by the time the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition came to power in 2010, it never came to pass. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Burnham, take note: water shareholders have their uses – they can be squeezed for cash | Nils Pratley
Owner of South West Water, Bristol Water and Bournemouth Water is tapping its investors for £550m after sewage spillsSouth West Water owner taps investors after sewage spillsWater is “a service where the shareholders never lose and the public never win,” Andy Burnham, the prime minister, told the Labour party conference last week, reflecting the popular feeling towards the industry in England.And, of course, his big-picture point is familiar: the £80bn, or thereabouts, that has been paid in dividends over the past 35 years represented over-the-top rewards for investors in many cases. It is easy to agree the public was taken for a ride. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Beware rightwing economic myths such as ‘maxing out the nation’s credit card’ | Letters
Readers respond to an article in which Larry Elliott argues that Andy Burnham must challenge neoliberal nostrumsLarry Elliott’s column on the rightwing economic myths constraining Andy Burnham’s government should be required reading before John Healey’s budget (Rightwing economic myths could derail Burnham’s project – to destroy them, look to Keynes, 1 October).I spent 20 years trading bonds, and agree that the household budget analogy bears no relation to how the UK state finances itself. Parliament votes on the spending, the Treasury instructs the Bank of England, and the Bank credits accounts in the private sector. Taxes withdraw money afterwards. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
‘I reside in Monaco’: billionaire said to have quit UK over potential wealth tax had already left
TaxWatch contradicts claims about David Reuben’s departure and questions stories of super-rich exodusApparent exodus of super-rich suggests UK is no longer billionaires’ playgroundWhen the Sunday Times broke the news that David Reuben, one of the richest men in the UK, had apparently fled to the tax haven of Monaco, there was much pearl clutching. Reuben had moved from his Holland Park house in London to live full-time in the principality.Labour’s tax regime was blamed and there were said to be fears there would be a cascading effect across the economy, with wealth draining from the UK. It was reported that he had probably left because of potential taxes on wealth in the upcoming budget. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
OpenAI’s release of mathematical findings draws concerns from experts
Leaders worry OpenAI is not doing due diligence to vet results and that AI models aren’t accessible to broader field of mathematicians OpenAI has astounded mathematicians after releasing hundreds of new mathematical findings on Tuesday.The company published over 370 mathematical results across a variety of topics such as algebra, theoretical computer science and mathematical logic, showcasing what some of its most advanced artificial intelligence models are capable of. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Ex-Barclays traders jailed for rigging interest rates have convictions quashed
Acquittals of five former bankers come year after supreme court overturned ruling against City trader Tom HayesFive more former traders who were jailed for rigging interest rates have had their convictions quashed by the court of appeal in London, after a long battle to clear their names.The court overturned the convictions of Jay Vijay Merchant, Jonathan Mathew, Philippe Moryoussef, Alex Pabon and Colin Bermingham – all of whom worked at Barclays. Continue reading...
bbc.co.uk
Badenoch says Tories would scrap inheritance tax on family homes
Tory leader says her party is "coming back", as she aims to convince voters it has changed after 2024 election defeat.
bbc.co.uk
Ex-bankers jailed for rigging rates have convictions quashed
Jay Merchant, Jonathan Mathew, Philippe Moryoussef, Alex Pabon, Colin Bermingham had their convictions overturned by the Court of Appeal.
theguardian.com
Will the Zuckerberg, Musk and Altman movies make a dent on tech giant evangelism?
The triple release of The Social Reckoning, Musk and Artificial is less a clear political stance, more like movie studio opportunismHollywood is sending a clear message: it’s a friend of tech. Netflix is no longer a lone disruptor: historic studio MGM is now the property of Amazon’s Jeff Bezos; David Ellison’s takeover of Paramount and subsequent Warner Bros merger was supported by his tech giant father; and Apple TV has acted as a patron for multiple film-maker passion projects. Everyone, including trendy auteur-factory A24, is tying themselves financially to AI.The enormous pull of the tech industry – including its many trillions of dollars, oversized influence on politics and heavily pushed algorithms and AI products – means Hollywood is not alone in courting its wealth, but it has intensified the historic tension between art and commerce in the entertainment business. Technology that augments the human experience may be a compelling narrative subject, but this year brings a trio of films about the gurus responsible for the industry’s false promises. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
The Jaguar Type 01: a £150k gargantuan getaway vehicle utterly useless in the city
Too costly for most, too large for UK car parks, and wheels bigger than a warlord’s pickup truck. But it does come in ‘London red’Jaguar targets young Americans with Type 01 EVThe cutting-edge car du jour, even while very few will ever buy one, is a good index of what the world’s coming to. It’s a dress-for-the-job-you-want principle, on wheels: drive for the world you want to inhabit.That’s why when Tesla launched the Model X with a bioweapon defence mode (2016!), we should have been much more worried than we were, and it’s why the Jaguar Type 01 Grand Tourer EV has a lot to say. Continue reading...
bbc.co.uk
Royal Mail plans to cut 2,500 jobs
The postal service firm wants to cut head office and other non-frontline jobs by the end of 2027.
theguardian.com
Royal Mail to cut up to 2,500 jobs amid restructure and fall in letter deliveries
Postal service says cuts will focus on head office and ‘support function roles’Royal Mail is to cut up to 2,500 jobs as the embattled company seeks to restructure its business amid intense competition and the continuing decline in letter deliveries.The postal service, which has been fined a total of £37m since 2023 for missing delivery targets set by the regulator Ofcom, said the job cuts would focus on head office and “support function roles” with the restructure to be completed by the end of next year. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Tell us: are you affected by the 6% mortgage rate?
Will the mortgage rate rise change your plans to buy a house or move?The average cost of a five-year fixed-rate mortgage has hit the 6% barrier for the first time in three years.Figures from financial information provider Moneyfacts show the average is now 6.00%, its highest point since September 2023, while the average two-year fixed rate is 5.98%, its highest since December of the same year. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
IMF chief urges governments to tighten belts as global debt levels soar
Kristalina Georgieva says big economies will have to make ‘very touch choices’ as soaring bond yields hit budgetsThe head of the International Monetary Fund has called on governments across big economies to tighten their belts as soaring bond yields hit budgets.Speaking in Singapore, the IMF’s managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, said global debt-to-GDP ratios were at their highest level since the second world war and on course to hit 100% in the coming years. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Skepticism mires Trump’s Iowa steel plant project: ‘Promises are not the same as jobs’
The project has sparked doubts over whether the plant will be built and delivered as promised, given Trump’s recordDonald Trump has long sought to portray himself as a man of steel, from the White House photoshopping Trump to look like Superman, to enacting tariffs on steel and approving the sale of US Steel to Japan’s Nippon Steel with a ”golden” share given to the US government.Most recently, the Trump administration announced plans to construct the largest steel plant in the US, a $15bn plant in Lee county, Iowa, to be built by India-based Mesabi Metallics. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Goodbye Warner, hello Skydance: how will the major merger really impact Hollywood?
After a windier road than expected, Paramount and Warner are now one, under the banner of Skydance, and the film industry is set for a shake-upHollywood’s big five have officially become the big four. Following a twist-filled saga that saw the century-old studio Warner Bros nearly acquired by the streaming giant Netflix, only to be outbid by Paramount owners Skydance, the company led by billionaire scion David Ellison. After facing legal opposition that ultimately crumbled, Warner Bros and Paramount are officially under the same corporate roof. They are divisions of Skydance, which joins Sony, Disney and Universal as the remaining major-studio players in Hollywood.The merger goes beyond film production. Eventually, the streaming services HBO Max and Paramount+ will merge into a single entity, though a timeline has not been disclosed. The television channels HBO, Showtime, CBS, MTV, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, TNT, TBS and CNN are among many now owned by a single corporation. The presence of CNN on that list has brought particular scrutiny, given the post-Skydance meddling with the once-respected CBS News, resulting in a rocky stewardship from Bari Weiss, who has overseen a dip in both ratings and prestige for the flagship program 60 Minutes. Weiss isn’t expected to add CNN to her purview; current chair Mark Thompson will remain in place for now, and Skydance has insisted that CNN will remain editorially independent. But given Ellison’s chumminess with Donald Trump, who has long ranted incoherently about CNN’s supposed biases, the presence of an oversight board with Ellison appointees has been cold comfort. Continue reading...
bbc.co.uk
Fears coastal town road closure could leave Watchet 'desolate'
Businesses in Watchet are concerned by the closure of the main road into Watchet.
bbc.co.uk
Jaguar unveils new electric car after 'woke' ridicule
Two years after JLR relaunched Jaguar into a blizzard of controversy, it has launched its new EV.
bbc.co.uk
Rainmakers: The drones used to seed clouds
Cloud seeding is gaining attention as countries look to boost rainfall - will drones help?
bbc.co.uk
Half the harvest, twice the bills: how drought hit farms
Farmers gathered much less wheat in 2026 and dairy farmers' costs rose.
cnbc.com
Luxury developers flocked to the 'Hamptons of Hungary' — but some projects are stalling
Lake Balaton in south-west Hungary has been a popular vacation destination for decades, but average transaction prices are falling.
theguardian.com
Poland’s ‘solidarity’ push for EU energy resilience in face of Russian aggression
In the second article in a series on the Polish economy, we look at how the country is forging closer ties with its neighboursTwo miles off the coast of Gdańsk, the white steel piles of Poland’s first offshore gas terminal rise from the slate-grey Baltic. Installed at a height eight metres above the waves, the floating cranes and construction vessels here are on the frontline of Europe’s push for energy security.Since the taps were turned off on Russian gas after Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine four years ago, Poland has turned to the global energy market for supplies. But while conditions are far from ideal as the Middle East war drives oil and gas prices to stratospheric levels, strengthening the diversity of the country’s energy mix remains a top priority for Poland, its Baltic neighbours, and the EU at large. Continue reading...
bbc.co.uk
Froyo's made a comeback. But at £12 a tub will it last?
Frozen yoghurt, which was a huge craze in the 2000s and 2010s, has made its return with multiple chains popping up across the wider UK.
theguardian.com
Chancellor plans major intervention to help poorer UK households with rising energy bills
Exclusive: Officials working on further radical changes that would change how much energy companies could charge customersJohn Healey is planning a major intervention to cut energy bills for poorer households in this month’s budget, after ministers became alarmed at forecasts that show bills rising by hundreds of pounds in January.The chancellor is working on plans to spend more than £1bn to help energy consumers, the bulk of which is likely to go towards increasing the discount given to households on certain benefits. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Morrisons is not a must-do deal for Sainsbury’s
Odds are good the CMA would approve of a supermarket merger. But does Sainsbury’s need Morrisons?Would competition regulators really smile upon a combination of Sainsbury’s and Morrisons? One must assume the two companies believed the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) would give a thumbs up if asked, otherwise they would not have initiated their now-aborted merger talks.It’s easy to list the arguments the duo could make. First, the combined market share of Sainsbury’s (15.2%, on the latest numbers from Worldpanel analysts) and Morrisons (8.4%) would still be less than that of mighty Tesco (27.8%). It would not be a case of leap-frogging the market leader, which was Sainsbury’s big idea back in 2018 when Asda was in its sights. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Stop worrying about my AI, says multibillionaire Sam Altman. So we bear the risks and he keeps the money | Chris Stokel-Walker
OpenAI’s CEO seems to want to privatise his company’s huge financial gains while making all of us pay for any negative consequencesTech bros’ messianic streaks can show up in subtle ways. But one of Sam Altman’s flaws is that he often lacks that subtlety. “We believe that the world should accept some bad things happening for the benefits of this technology,” said the OpenAI chief executive in an interview with Politico last weekend.That’s easy for Altman to say. But it’s pretty galling to hear for the rest of us. Lest we forget, we didn’t ask for OpenAI to unleash AI agents that went rogue and weaselled their way into government IT systems and private businesses around the world. Nobody voted for ChatGPT to be released, but the company put it out into the world as a test product that happened to catch the zeitgeist. That kickstarted an arms race among AI companies to push the frontier of the technology ever further and faster, resulting in the mess we now find ourselves in.Chris Stokel-Walker is the author of TikTok Boom: The Inside Story of the World’s Favourite App Continue reading...
cnbc.com
Russian lab worker's suspected plague death leaves experts puzzled
Russian authorities say the situation is stable and there are no reports of secondary cases.
theguardian.com
Is Australia ready for a datacentre boom? – podcast
As technology companies push to expand AI infrastructure across Australia, residents from suburban Melbourne to regional Queensland are raising concerns over noise, power demands and local impacts. Could growing community opposition slow down plans for a nationwide infrastructure boom?Technology reporter Josh Taylor joins Reged Ahmad to unpack why Australians are becoming so uneasy about datacentres – and whether government regulation can address their fearsRead more:Rural Queenslanders have seen gas projects come and go – but a 725-hectare datacentre poses a whole new level of ‘stupidity’‘These guys are just coming from nothing’: questions over multibillion-dollar Firmus float amid datacentre backlashPlan for controversial $1.2bn datacentre in Sydney scrapped due to ‘emerging’ regulations Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Who owns ‘brain rot’? Inside the international legal drama over a beloved meme
Copyright law in the US only applies to human-made creations, but AI characters like Tung Tung Tung Sahur are challenging thatOne of the most beloved characters in an absurdist genre of online video content has become the center of an international legal battle that could determine where human creativity ends and artificial intelligence begins.Tung Tung Tung Sahur, also known as Triple T, was created in 2025 by an Indonesian teen who goes by the username Noxa, using OpenAI’s image-generation tool. Based on a kentongan – a type of drum used to wake south-east Asian Muslims for their pre-dawn meal during Ramadan – the character is an anthropomorphized version of the instrument with a broad smile and a vacant stare. He sits under the umbrella of “Italian brain rot” internet videos. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Sorry, but I’m bringing my iced coffee to the job interview | Tayo Bero
What, exactly, about the drink is so distracting? The viral debate raises bigger questions about who defines ‘professionalism’The great iced coffee debate of 2026 is the latest submission to the young-people-just-don’t-get-it discourse and, of course, it’s as polarizing as ever.Recruiters say you shouldn’t bring iced coffee to interviews, while young people are (rightly) asking: what’s the big deal? It’s one of those conversations that makes me cringe, given just how eagerly it springs up from the generational divide plaguing mainstream culture. And as usual, gen Z are cast as the entitled morons who want to live life with no rules or responsibilities, all to the detriment of the millennials and gen X-ers who have to deal with them.Tayo Bero is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...
theguardian.com
OpenAI admits misstep in handling AI agent interactions with Australian government sites – video
In a parliamentary inquiry, OpenAI chief strategy officer Jason Kwon is questioned by independent senator David Pocock about the company's notification process after OpenAI agents accessed Australian government website data in June. Asked why OpenAI relied on an arbitrary department email rather than direct government contacts, Kwon acknowledges that 'in retrospect, we should have done what you're suggesting'. He explains that staff had treated the incident as a 'technical situation' and sought to contact technical counterparts, which he says was 'not good enough'OpenAI has 'work to do to rebuild trust' in Australia, executive tells AI inquiry Continue reading...
theguardian.com
While British children go hungry, we waste 1.1bn meals a year. Bring on the redistribution revolution | Charlotte Hill
Food businesses and the government must make redistribution a key policy to address food insecurity. We know the surplus food is out thereCharlotte Hill is chief executive of the food redistribution organisation FelixHow often does this happen? You open the fridge and find some ingredient you meant to use but didn’t get round to, and even though it’s still edible you think perhaps it’s just easier to throw it away. In the UK it’s estimated that an average household wastes about three meals a week, or 156 meals a year.Household fridges are one thing. But across the food sector, more than 1bn meals’ worth of easily accessible surplus food is wasted each year in the UK for the same reason: because it is easier to throw it away. That equates to 470,000 tonnes – enough to feed every child in the UK three meals a day for a month. When so many people are struggling to afford food, that is a staggering amount – and what’s even more shocking is that it is good quality and nutritious.Charlotte Hill is chief executive of the food redistribution organisation Felix Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Anthropic says AI agents didn’t breach Australian government websites – video
During a joint parliamentary hearing on artificial intelligence, Anthropic’s head of safeguards, Dave Orr, says that investigations of hundreds of millions of transcripts reveal no unauthorised interactions with Australian government systems. However, Orr acknowledges Anthropic has limited visibility into customer usage due to standard ‘zero data retention’ policiesAnthropic tells AI inquiry it ‘never tried to dictate’ Australian copyright rules Continue reading...
theguardian.com
The butter boom – how the world fell back in love with the glorious golden spread
It’s being sculpted for fashion parties, collected by tourists and hoarded in freezers. There are even entire shops devoted to it. What’s behind the revival of the much-maligned foodstuff?Temperatures in Paris were nudging 41C when Erwan Leo opened Le Butter Shop this summer. Wildfires had already been tearing through France and the city was quiet, particularly in the less touristy 15th arrondissement, a flex-your-wealth area near the Eiffel Tower. The last thing it needed, you would think, was a shop that sold loads of butter. “We were just so worried about the fridges,” says Leo, the 34-year-old owner. “We didn’t think anyone would even turn up.”I visit Le Butter, the first shop in Paris dedicated to selling the stuff, two months later in September. It’s a quaint, photogenic spot between a wine shop that was opened by Leo eight years ago and a cafe famous for being blown up in Christopher Nolan’s Inception. Inside there are candy-striped walls, little shopping baskets, a shelf of Instagrammable buttery merch (knives, hats, totes) and two double fridges containing 50 different types of butter. It’s a lot cooler today; the fridges purr away at an exacting 3C. And the past few months have been busy – so much so that Leo has had to erect a bench for those waiting outside, and a retractable barrier to manage the queues. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Average five-year fixed mortgage rate hits 6% for first time in three years
Banks and building societies raise prices as turmoil in bond markets increases expectations of base rate riseThe average cost of a five-year fixed-rate mortgage has hit the 6% barrier for the first time in three years, as jitters in the money markets make the loans more expensive for lenders to offer.Figures from financial information provider Moneyfacts show the average is now 6.00%, its highest point since September 2023, while the average two-year fixed rate is not far behind at 5.98%, its highest since December of the same year. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Holiday cottage company insisted on a death certificate to amend our break
Sykes Holiday Cottages showed no empathy and insisted on paperwork we didn’t have so soon after my husband’s deathWe booked a break with Sykes Holiday Cottages for 11 of us to celebrate my mum’s 80th birthday last February. The cost was £2,400, paid for by my 87-year-old dad, but it was my husband who made the booking.In January, my husband was diagnosed with aggressive lymphoma, and he died 10 days before the trip. My parents and some other members of the party still planned to take the holiday, and my dad informed Sykes of the death, since my husband was their point of contact. Continue reading...
bbc.co.uk
How much is your salary?
And would you reveal it in a job interview?
theguardian.com
‘I didn’t know what to do’: collapse of providers of high-end digs leaves students in shock
Cost of living crisis and drop in international students hits market for purpose-built accommodation“It was dead in the middle of summer, it was a shock,” says Nathalie Sriwiboonrattan. The fourth-year game design student at Abertay University was at home with her family thousands of miles away in Thailand when she discovered the owner of her Scottish studio flat had abruptly gone bust.“I was like, my hands are tied. I’m not in the country. I don’t know what to do,” she says. Sriwiboonrattan was forced to act quickly to secure new housing for the academic year, which has just begun, paying £850 to have her possessions moved. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
How an 87-year-old Spanish woman became the face of the fight for affordable housing – explainer
María del Carmen Abascal, 87, was evicted from her home, on a stretcher, after being given 30 minutes to gather her belongings.The Guardian's European community affairs correspondent, Ashifa Kassam, explains how her eviction sparked protests across Madrid, which led to 'Maricarmen' becoming the symbol of a long-running housing rights movementEviction of 87-year-old puts Spain’s deepening housing crisis in the spotlight Continue reading...
bbc.co.uk
The AI telling farmers when to harvest
Will farmers want AI tools to help judge when to pick fruit, or is their own intuition enough?
bbc.co.uk
The start-ups hoping to return battery making to the US
Batteries based on sodium-ion technology could be made in the US with locally sourced materials.
bbc.co.uk
My hometown shows that high streets have to change or die
Aberdeen is launching an ambitious bid to revive its struggling centre. Could it offer lessons for other high streets?
bbc.co.uk
Europe's car makers are in crisis. Will the threat of war rescue them?
Auto executives across Europe hope rearmament can help them flex their industrial muscles once more.
bbc.co.uk
X-planes: Are they needed in the new era of drones?
Where do America's X-plane projects fit in an era of cheap drones?
bbc.co.uk
How the oil capital of the US welcomed a solar power boom
Texas is now the country's biggest producer of solar-farmed electricity.
bbc.co.uk
Spain battles climate change on several fronts
A summer of wildfires and heatwaves underlines the threats to the country's economy.
bbc.co.uk
The virtual worlds where robots are trained
Training systems that allow robots to negotiate the real world are getting more sophisticated.
bbc.co.uk
Would you buy branded clothing from your favourite tech firm?
Nvidia, OpenAI and Anthropic are all now selling their own limited edition fashion lines.
bbc.co.uk
Aviation faces hotter, stormier skies – and passengers might have to accept more disruption
Are people going to have to increasingly accept more delays and diversions as the effects of climate change intensify?
bbc.co.uk
Why the UK is dithering over what to do about e-scooters
Why is it taking so long for the government to regulate them, and what are the consequences of delay?
bbc.co.uk
Why Gen Z are planning for life without a state pension
Many younger people do not believe the state pension will exist when they are older
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